Fresh initiatives

Delegates at the agriculture meet at the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology. Telegraph picture 
The  Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology hosted a meet of potential agriculture entrepreneurs on August 1. The aim was to provide a platform for a stakeholders’ interaction in “agri-entrepreneurship” to share experiences, identify issues and opportunities and the required skill domains in the field. Attending the event as chief guest, Apicol managing director Subhendu Dey said entrepreneurship in the primary areas such as post-harvest and food processing had a great scope to grow in the state. A number of representatives from banks, colleges, universities and domain experts from various disciplines of agriculture attended the event.

Debate

The Rural Managers’ Association of Xavier University (RMAX), Bhubaneswar, organised "Vaktavya", a national-level debate in association with Bakul Foundation on July 30.The participating teams debated on topics pertaining to rural scenario, business and policy matters.

Twenty teams from across the nation took part in the event with Blink, consisting of Sourav Acharya and Siddhant Sahoo from the host institute, winning the trophy. The runners-up were Gaonwaley, consisting of Sambit Bastia and Souvik Gupta, from the same institute.

Foundation day

The Dhauli College of Art and Crafts celebrated its 23rd foundation day at the foothills of Dhauli last week. Art experts attended the event and said art education had progressed a lot in the state in the past two decades and the college’s efforts in this regard was commendable. An exhibition of paintings and sculptures was also inaugurated. Artists Sangita Patnaik and Manoranjan Maharana were honoured with the Sarat Kumar Rath Memorial Award. College students Sagarika Swain, Prafulla Behera, Jyotiranjan Swain, Manas Maharathi, Iswar Kumar Mahanta and Sarath Palai were felicitated for excellence in various categories.

New courses

New courses will be introduced in postgraduate and MPhil streams in three colleges across the state. There will also be an increase in the number of seats in various departments in these institutions accordingly. These include the Vikram Deb Autonomous College in Jeypore, Government Autonomous College in Rourkela and the Samanta Chandra Sekhara Autonomous College in Puri - all of them touted as the oldest educational institutions in the state. Plans are on to 
develop infrastructure and streamline teaching and non-teaching faculty in these colleges.

Hepatitis day

The Siksha ‘O’ Anusadndhan University observed the World Hepatitis Day recently. Hepatitis-B kills more people in a day than the HIV does in a year, but the HIV has got into the public psyche as a much bigger threat, said experts while addressing hundreds of scout and guide cadets. The cadets and several doctors took out a rally on Janpath on the occasion, carrying placards to spread awareness about the virus. The programme was jointly organised by IMS and SUM Hospital, a constituent of S'O'A University and the Odisha unit of Bharat Scouts and Guides.

MoU inked

The Central University of Odisha, Koraput, and the Council of Analytical Tribal Studies, Koraput, signed an MoU to enhance co-operation in higher education and tribal research development on July 25. The MoU was signed for three years. It aims to promote and enhance academic interest between the two bodies and provide expert advice for the overall development of the varsity’s centre for tribal welfare and community development into a centre of excellence in tribal studies.

Anwesha Ambaly